Oakland County residents react to Detroit Zoo tax lawsuit

A lawsuit to decide if a group of Wayne County communities can take a portion of taxes appropriated for the Detroit Zoo is scheduled to be heard in court again March 7.

Oakland County residents -- who belong to the tri-county tax base the zoo takes its funds from -- continue to voice their opinion.

A Thursday scheduling conference in Wayne County Judge Daniel T. Lyan's courtroom determined that the grouped communities' suit will return for a status conference in less than a month.

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"Personally, I'm tired of paying for Detroit," said Novi resident Eleanor Thompson. The 67-year-old, a widow, said she still works full-time -- at Ford Motor Company -- to maintain her lifestyle in Oakland County.

"Why am I being taxed to keep up cities that I don't live in?" asked Thompson.

Her comments sprung from her disdain upon seeing reports that certain Wayne County communities have been taking -- for their own purposes -- a portion of a 2008 tax intended for the Detroit Zoological Authority.

The tax -- approved by Oakland, Macomb and Wayne county voters -- has been portioned by several communities to fund the redevelopment of their downtown areas for projects such as sidewalks, decorative pavers and streetlights, said Oakland County Commissioner Shelley Taub.

Not long after local media reported on this controversy, a group of Detroit-area communities filed suit against Wayne County Treasurer Raymond J. Wojtowicz, along with Wayne County's Zoological Authority and Art Institute Authority.

Bloomfield Hills-based attorney Tom McCarthy is representing the group of downtown development authorities and municipalities that has asked the Wayne County Circuit Court to decide whether they're able to take a slice of the millage for the Detroit Zoological Authority.

Taub recently drafted a resolution condemning what these communities are doing.

"Published reports indicate that many Wayne County communities have withheld more than $756,000 of the zoo's revenues," she said.

Further, she said, the group of communities are considering withholding funds from the newly approved Detroit Institute of Arts 0.2 millage tax.

Thompson, who said she grew up in Detroit, said she voted "no" for the DIA millage because she found out that the money may not go straight to the appropriate entities, as happened with the Detroit Zoo.

"It was upsetting to find out my money wasn't going straight to the zoo," she said. "I didn't want to make that mistake again."

West Bloomfield man Donald Piggott said the watchdogs have to be out there.

"The Detroit Zoo is a fantastic zoo, but it won't be taken care of," Piggott said. "Wayne County isn't participating like they should."

Retired now, Piggott previously worked as a land surveyor and for the West Bloomfield Fire Department. He said the answer is a better plan to fund the Downtown Development Authorities so they won't take money from a tax that isn't meant for them to have access to.

"DDAs were created to function within a community and get things done," he said. "It may take the governor's -- or congress' -- help. We have to get rid of the 'If I want it, I'll take it' attitude."

As the suit to determine who can take what from the Detroit Zoo and DIA authorities proceeds in court, Piggott said he wouldn't be opposed to a class action lawsuit to get a portion of Oakland County residents' taxes back.

Michigan Rep. Eileen Kowall decided to take the issue on as well. She is in the process of drafting legislation to "ensure that all millage dollars reach the voter-approved destination, instead of being captured by other local entities," according to a recent release.

"If the people in our communities support a local millage, every last penny collected should be used for the intended purpose," said Kowall, R-White Lake Township. "The will of the voters must be protected and the zoo, the DIA, and any other approved millage recipient should get the dollars the voters intended to send to them."

Facebook user Joshua Bennett, on The Oakland Press' page, commented: "Uh, the zoo isn't even in Wayne county, why is anyone in Wayne county managing the money, or mismanaging the money?"

McCarthy, representing the grouping of communities, said there's nothing in the law that exempts zoo millage or art authority millage taxes from being captured.

The communities "are following the law properly," he said.

The Detroit Zoo is located along I-696 at Woodward Avenue and 10 Mile Road in Royal Oak and Huntington Woods. The DIA is in Detroit, between Woodward Avenue and John R. Road.

FYI

For more information on the DIA, visit dia.org. To read more about the Detroit Zoo, go to detroitzoo.org.